Undeserved Mercy
by Rocketshipper
Summary: A Pete centric one-shot.  In the aftermath of a Heartless attack on Disney Town, Sora and friends find Pete at the mercy of an angry lynch mob, and Goofy steps forward to protect his former friend.


Undeserved Mercy

-Hey, Rocketshipper again. Back with another short fanfic. Wiiiii! This time it's a Kingdom Hearts fanfic! I am a huge KH fan, have been ever since the beginning of the series. I am also a HUGE Pete fan; it was KH 2 that actually got me back into Goof Troop and also got me watching House of Mouse and some other shows, all because of Pete. I've got like 12 Pete T-shirts (seriously) and a whole bunch of Pete pins I bought off Ebay, and a Pete statue thingy, and even a Pete golf ball and keychain. I'm a Pete fanatic! Anyway, I've had this specific story idea for over a year, but recently playing Birth by Sleep suddenly inspired me to finally put it down. It's kind of short…if I had more time and imagination I would have had it as part of a larger more epic storyline, but I still like it. Hope people enjoy it. Peace! Oh yeah, and disclaimer stuff. Don't own KH, or the Disney characters used in it. Yadda yadda yadda. Heard it before.-

The evening's darkness was lit mostly by the flickering glow of the now dying fires that spotted the city as the exhausted Trio of Sora, Donald, and Goofy trudged wearily down the main street that ran the length of Disney Town, heading back to the castle to meet with The King. The army of heartless led by the evil Fairy Maleficent and her dark allies had descended upon Disney Town like a hurricane, and the forces of the light had barely had time to even blink before the streets were overrun. The battle had lasted for what seemed like an eternity, with Maleficent's endless hoards pushing their way towards Disney Castle inch by inch. If it hadn't been for the timely reinforcements from Radiant Gardens, contacted by the King just seconds before dark magic blocked communications, even the Keyblades of Sora and King Mickey would have been overwhelmed by the army. It took many hours, but the efforts of Sora and his allies finally forced the heartless army into retreat, leaving the citizens of Disney Town to root through the destruction and put the pieces back together. Their bodies pushed to their very limits, Sora and his friends walk in a silent daze, too tired to even congratulate themselves on the victory they've just won. However, as the trio enters the Disney Town square, something finally catches Donald's eye enough to snap him out of his daze.

"Hey, what do you think's going on here?" asked the young wizard, pointing his staff ahead of the group. Sora and Goofy gaze in the direction that Donald's pointing and spot a surprisingly large crowd of people, gathered around the far entrance to the town square; forming a crude half circle around the corner of the building and lamppost where the streets intersect. Most of the people in the crowd are whispering animatedly to each other, and there is a distinct feeling of unease and edginess coming from the crowd. Whatever is holding the Disney Town citizens in such rapt attention has got them noticeably wound up, but no one in Sora's group can see what it is they've found.

"Gawrsh, looks like a big crowd of people, Donald" Goofy says, scratching his head in confusion.

"I can see that" Donald shoots back grumpily, giving Goofy a "don't mess with me" glare, "But what are they all doing here?" Sora lets out a tired sigh; he's really not in the mood for an argument *now* of all times.

"By the way they're acting; something is definitely going on…" Sora began, hoping to stop any fights between Goofy and Donald before they could start. "Maybe they found something related to the heartless." He glances up over the roofs of the town at Disney Castle, sitting on the hill above everything, before letting out another tired sigh. "Think we should check it out or not?" Donald contemplates the question, and then answers.

"The king is waiting for us at the castle…" He replied, the inflection of his voice conveying his impatience. Sora nodded back.

"Yeah, you're right. We should get going" he said, promptly turning away from the crowd and starting towards the street that would take them to the castle.

"Wait a minute" said Goofy, causing Sora and Donald to stop in their tracks. Both of them turned back to see a surprising look of suspicion on the young knight's face.

"What is it Goofy?" asked Sora. Goofy frowns and nods toward the crowd.

"It's not really much more than a feeling…" he began "but I don't like the looks of that crowd. I get the feeling that they might do just about anything, even something bad." Out of the corner of his eye Sora catches Donald rolling his eyes.

"Come on Goofy, we've got to report to the King, we can't mess around here" Donald replied as he gestured impatiently back towards the castle.

"It won't take that long, let's just go have a look" Goofy replied back, and before Sora or Donald could say anything more, he began walking towards the crowd. Sora and Donald glanced at each other, exchanging a look of tired annoyance, then shrugged their shoulders and jogged to catch up with their companion. They reached Goofy's side just as he began pushing through the crowd, and together the trio waded through the thick sea of Disney Town citizens until they reached the center of the group, and finally got a look at what was holding everyone's attention. For a few moments the trio said nothing, taking in the sight before them, and then Donald spoke up.

"I guess you were right Goofy" he half whispered to his companions, his voice showing that he'd grasped the seriousness of the situation.

"Yeah, this doesn't look exactly good." Sora agreed, watching the scene before him. Goofy's face remained hard and blank, unreadable.

Standing at the head of the large crowd was Horace Horsecollar, and it appeared that he was the definite leader of the mob; the citizens in the front rows of the crowd kept swinging their attention back to him, as if they expected him to say something important or prompt them into action. Horace himself stared straight ahead, never taking his eyes off the certain someone whose presence had drawn the large crowd of angry citizens. Across from Horace, collapsed unceremoniously against the lamppost planted at the street corner, was Pete, Maleficent's Lieutenant. He had been one of the generals leading the heartless army into Disney Town, ordering his soldiers to attack everything in sight with a gleeful smile on his face. The Pete they saw before them now was a far cry from the man who'd been fighting only a few hours prior; his armor was now shattered and torn apart, one eye was black and swollen completely shut, his arm red with blood from a gash on his left shoulder, a wound inflicted by Sora's own Keyblade earlier in the fight. Sora and his friends had seen Pete retreating with the rest of Maleficent's forces when the tide had finally turned; now they knew where he had ended up. His eyes were now filled with fear, with terror, as he cowered back from Horace, who was looking at him with a mix of total disgust and hatred.

"Looks like all your new friends have deserted you Pete" Horace jeered, his voice filled with barely controlled anger. "They abandoned you. Betrayed you…" he continued, his fists clenching and unclenching rhythmically. "Just like you betrayed us…" he spat out, and the crowd around him gave an angry cheer of affirmation. "…Like you betrayed your town, your king, the entire world, every world!" His voice rose in anger with each item added to the list, until he was on the verge of screaming. Sora observed the crowd with growing unease, and noticed that a lot of the citizens were brandishing clubs or weapons, and some were carrying rope.

"But now…" continued Horace, his voice dropping to more regular levels, "Now your time escaping the law is at an end. You're at our mercy..." he paused dramatically and squeezed one hand into a tight fist "…and justice will be served." The crowd gave out another cheer of agreement, with a smattering of shouted insults added to the mix. Pete cringed back against the lamppost further, and his eyes scanned the crowd as his fear continued to mount. After a moment his gaze fell on Sora's little group, and for a brief moment his eyes met with Goofy's. Something imperceptible to Sora passed between the two of them, and then Pete's eyes fell, his gaze turning down to his feet in shame. Horace continued to make his speech to Pete for the benefit of the crowd, and with each declaration the crowd became just a little more agitated, a little more psychologically prepared to do what Horace was suggesting, to take Justice in their own hands. Sora shifted nervously and then whispered to Goofy.

"That guy is getting them really into it. If something doesn't happen quick, Pete's going to be toast" he looked from Goofy to Donald "what do you think we should do?"

"I think we should get out of here and tell the King and the royal guards." Donald replied, whispering to avoid being overheard by the angry mob around them, "But we definitely need to hurry."

"No" Goofy quietly replied, and both Sora and Donald were startled by the resolve in his voice. "I'm going to put a stop to this right now." He continued. Sora was startled to see a look of total seriousness and resolve etched onto Goofy's face. The normally simple cheerful happy-go-lucky Goofy that they were used to was nowhere to be seen in that face. Donald was taken aback by Goofy's look too, and replied quickly.

"We can't intervene with just us! There's too many of them and someone will get hurt!" he replied, "Let the guards handle it. Anyway…it's just Pete…" he continued, when suddenly Goofy turned and gave Donald such a cold stare that it cut the young wizard off in mid sentence. Goofy stared at Donald for several more seconds, and then replied, his voice full of restrained anger at his friend.

"Even if we did follow your plan there isn't enough time to get back with the guards. Something has to be done now." He turned forward again. "And I didn't say we. I can do this myself". Goofy began to push through the crowd again, heading towards the clearing where Horace was. Donald tried to reach out and grab him.

"You're really going to risk getting hurt for him?" he asked, raising his voice, but Goofy didn't respond or even turn around. He reached the front of the crowd and stepped out into the space in the center. Both Pete and Horace noticed Goofy at the same moment. Horace smiled and raised his hand to the new arrival.

"Hey Goofy" he began, his voice filled with a cheer completely inappropriate to the situation "Come to give the support of the royal guards to the cause of handing out Justice to this treasonous swine?" he continued, and then spit in Pete's direction. Goofy didn't reply, but instead walked across the space and stood in front of Pete. Pete glanced up at Goofy, and then his forehead narrowed in an expression of contempt and disgust. 

"So you came to gloat too didn't you Goof?" Pete asked, speaking for the first time since Sora group arrived. "Not too surprised. My forces are gone; I'm at the end of the line, see?. Yous guys won." He turned his gaze away from Goofy, scowling at the crowd surrounding them. "Just, make it quick ok? Losin is already bad enough". Goofy stared at Pete for a few seconds more, then his expression changed, and a soft gentle smile broke across his face.

"Don't worry Petey, I'll get you out of this" he said softly. The words passed only between them, unheard by anyone else in the huge crowd. Pete's eyes widened in surprise at Goofy's gentle expression, and the old nickname. He had expected insults and jeers from the man standing before him, the man who had been his enemy only hours before, not a response like this.

Goofy turned around and faced Horace and the rest of the crowd. Horace smiled but looked a bit confused, and a murmur began to move back through the milling citizens. Goofy fixed everyone in the group with a cold angry stare.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves" he stated in a commanding voice, glancing around, catching the eyes of anyone in the crowd who would look his way. "Are you really planning to do what it looks like you're going to do? The citizens of Disney Town? I don't believe it." Horace, for a few seconds, was completely speechless, a look of almost comical shock plastered on his face, but then he recovered, and his expression changed to a look of disbelief and annoyance.

"Of course we are." He replied, giving Goofy a hard serious look "I would have expected you to understand."

"Well then, I guess I've disappointed you." Goofy replied, returning Horace's hard look. Goofy, still staring down the crowd, took a few steps backwards towards Pete, and then held his arms out to the side, in a blocking protective gesture. "If you're thinking about doing anything to Pete, you're going to have to get by me first." Pete starred up at Goofy's back with a look of stark shock and amazement, the people around him completely forgotten. A murmur of surprise swept through the crowd. Horace sputtered and coughed for a second, as if he'd choked on a sip of water, and then starred at Goofy in surprise.

"You can't honestly be serious Goofy?" Horace asked. Goofy returned his look without wavering.

"I'm completely serious" He responded.

"Get out of the way!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and many of the others called out in agreement. Horace nodded and held out his hand towards Goofy.

"Step aside Goofy. Don't stand in the way of justice." Goofy shook his head firmly.

"No, I'm not moving" he replied.

Horace's dumbfounded look grew more confused, and then anger began to creep back into his face. "But, but, but but…" he sputtered, stumbling over the words in his shock "…He's a traitor!" he cried, waving his arm forcefully as he glanced around the crowd, looking for support. "He turned against us all, for his own selfish reasons. He would have destroyed this town and everything we care about if our side hadn't won. He's our enemy!"

Goofy watched Horace make his speech, and then nodded, his expression remaining unchanged. "Yeah, I know all that." He replied.

Horace again looked surprised, and then his brow furrowed with anger. "Then WHY are you standing in our way!" he nearly screamed, taking several steps towards Goofy.

"Because…" Goofy replied, keeping his eyes locked on Horace's "He's my friend."

Another murmur of surprise and confusion went through the crowd. Horace gritted his teeth and let out a grunt of rage, and he clenched his fists and stomped away. "FRIEND!" he bellowed, turning back towards Goofy. "Don't make me laugh! That guy was never your friend! He was never anyone's friend but his own."

Goofy glanced backwards over his shoulder at Pete. "Yeah, your half right about that. Pete never really was the nicest guy most of the time. Called me names, teased me, sometimes lied to me…" Pete dropped his eyes away from Goofy's and starred at the pavement in front of him. "He was selfish, rude, bad-tempered…" Goofy turned back and fixed Horace with another stare "But he was still my friend." He glanced back over his shoulder again "Still is my friend. I love him like a brother…" Goof glanced over the whole crowd and then glared at Horace "…and I'm not going to stand by and watch you do this to him in the street like a bunch of thugs"

Pete starred at Goofy's back in dumbfounded amazement; he could barely even comprehend what his old friend was doing for him. "Goof." He spoke, his voice trembling with near uncomprehending surprise "You're doing this…for me? Wh..wha…" his voice broke up as he felt and overwhelming mix of conflicting emotions welling up inside him. His good eye suddenly blurred over, and he reached up with surprise to discover his cheek wet with tears. Goofy didn't respond, but took another small step back towards Pete, continuing to hold his arms out protectively.

Sora and Donald watched all this unfold in front of them with their own struggling emotions. Suddenly Sora nodded to himself nearly imperceptibly, and then stepped out into the center of the crowd and walked towards Goofy. "Oh no, not him too" Donald moaned to himself, as he watched his friend.

Horace gave Sora a surprised look, watching him as he stopped beside Goofy. "Keyblade Master?" he began, hardly able to believe how the situation was so quickly changing "Don't tell me you're siding with Goofy too."

Sora turned to face Horace and nodded, raising his arms in the same protective posture Goofy had taken. "That's right."

Goofy and Pete both looked at Sora with equal expressions of surprise. "This is my fight, Sora" Goofy began, looking at his friend with concern "You and Donald don't have to get involved. You guys should go get help"

Sora smiled warmly and Goofy, and then turned his gaze towards the crowd, putting on the best tough face he could summon. "I'm doing it because I want to." He began, speaking aloud so most of those present could hear. "I'll always stick by my friends. And besides…I felt the same way about Riku." Recognition donned on both Goofy and Donald's face at the same time. Sora smiled and nodded. "Even when Riku joined the Heartless, even when he gave into the darkness, I never gave up on him. I kept fighting to save him" Sora placed his hand on Goofy's shoulder and smiled at him "You and Donald were there for me the whole time, supporting me. So now I'm going to support you."

Goofy looked at Sora with relief and gratitude, his heart touched by Sora's comment. "Thanks Sora." He replied, briefly placing his hand over Sora's, before the two of them both turned back to face Horace and the crowd.

Donald continued to watch the scene unfold before him, fighting an inner battle with his conscious and his own good sense. Half of him wanted to just run away, to get to the castle as quick as he could and call the palace guards, or even the King, before things got too out of hand. But part of him also wanted desperately to stand by his friends; Sora's words had deeply moved him too, and he felt a strong urge to respond. Finally he made his decision. "I hope I don't end up regretting this" he commented under his breath, and then stepped out into the center of the crowd.

The spectators babble fell in volume as everyone watched him walk across the clearing to stand by his friends. Horace grimaced in annoyance and slapped his hand against his face. "Not you too Donald" he muttered softly, shaking his head.

"Donald?" Goofy said in surprise, staring at his friend. Donald nodded towards him.

"Yep. I guess I'm going to stand by you guys too. Even if it is for Pete, I can't just walk away and leave you too alone facing these odds." He turned and gave the crowd his most intimidating glare, brandishing his magic wand out in front of him. "Anyone who makes a move towards us is going to taste my magic." He stated.

Horace grunted in disgust and paced back and forth across the clearing. "I just can't believe what I'm hearing" he stated, turning his angry gaze on the trio. "All of you are really serious about this?" he asked in a disbelieving, pleading tone. He turned his gaze straight to Sora. "You of all people, Key blade master, should be aware of the damage…" He pointed dramatically at Pete, "…THAT man and his allies have done to the worlds. How can you stand by and protect him after all he's done to threaten the light you've been chosen to protect?"

Sora gazed back at Horace, meeting his eyes with a determined stare that eventually forced the other man to break contact. "It's true that I've been fighting to protect the light, and that my friends and I have battled Pete many times. I would do it again if I had to." For a moment, a look of relief and agreement passed over Horace's face. Finally they were starting to see reason. But his expression changed to disappointment and anger again as Sora continued. "But this…" he began, gesturing around to the huge crowd "is not a fight! And it's not real Justice either." He glanced around the crowd, his eyes and tone pleading with them to see reason. "The battle is over. The Bad guys lost. That should be enough. Let us and the authorities from the castle handle this issue."

Horace seethed with anger and rage, as he glared back at Sora. "Of course it's not enough!" he screamed, taking a step towards Sora and friends. "The heartless have destroyed countless worlds, COUNTLESS, with that man's help. He betrayed every single citizen of this town. He betrayed existence itself!" Horace's voice continued to rise becoming more and more out of control. Sora looked around uneasily, watching the crowd's reaction, and realized that if something didn't happen soon, they wouldn't be able to talk the crowd down anymore. Horace continued on in his rage, drawing the audience into his anger "That man doesn't deserve any consideration in a court of law!" he continued "he doesn't deserve any protection or mercy or nothing. All he deserves is exactly what we're going to give to him!" Horace ended, and the crowd cheered back in agreement.

Pete watched the crowd around him gear up in anger, and then dropped his eyes to the ground, resigned to the inevitable. Besides, All the stuff Horace had been saying…was right. "Goof…" Pete spoke up again quietly. "You shouldn't be wasting your time doing this for me. He's right...about everything…"

Donald looked back at Pete and then at the crowd facing them, before finally whispering to Goofy and Sora. "You know, maybe we should listen to him."

Goofy glared back at his friend. "Be quit Donald." He said, and then added in a less harsh voice. "You too Pete. I didn't ask your permission do this. I'm doing it because I want to."

"But…" Pete sputtered back "I'm…I'm not worth it…" he finished, his voice barely rising above a whisper.

Goofy smiled to himself and replied. "You are to me pal."

Horace glared at Sora's group. "Stop whispering amongst yourselves" he cried out "Now you're ignoring me! I demand that you listen to reason, to justice!"

Goofy turned his attention back to Horace in dismay. "Listen to yourself Horace!" he pleaded, "I can't believe you. What do you think the King would say if he heard everything you've said?"

Horace glared back at Goofy, unperturbed by his question. "I'm sure the King understands the gravity of the situation" he narrowed his eyes towards Goofy and his friends "Much more than you I'm sure. He would understand the seriousness of that man's crimes…and the appropriate response to them." The crowd let out a cry of affirmation. Goofy, Sora, and Donald backed up, keeping close to each other as they raised their weapons. The situation looked on the verge of exploding, and Sora and friends braced themselves for the moment when Horace or someone else in the crowd finally got up the nerve to yell "charge" and begin the riot. Sweat trickled down Sora's forehead as he and his friends eyed the crowd, trying to keep an eye out for the first signs of real aggression. Pete glanced around at the crowd and at the three men protecting him, and then hung his head in resignation, closing his eyes and preparing for the inevitable.

"So Horace, you really think you know what my judgment would be?"

Silence fell over the entire crowd with shocking suddenness. Heads turned like a wave in the direction of the confident commanding voice. In almost an instant, the crowd parted down the middle, and King Mickey himself strolled up the aisle, straight towards Horace and his opponents. The king was still wearing the street clothes he'd had on during the battle, and the dirt, blood, and general disheveled condition of the garments gave Mickey an intimidating battle hardened appearance, matched by his unflinching glare, which he fixed solidly on Horace. Horace's former rage and intimidating attitude vanished in an instant as the king approached, and he quickly fell to his knees, his face beginning to redden slightly. Like a wave, the rest of the crowd bowed as well, and Donald and Goofy both dipped to one knee in automatic response, leaving only Sora standing . Catching on to everyone's actions a few seconds too late, Sora did a quick embarrassed bow of his own as Mickey reached the center of the crowd and stood before them.

"Your majesty…" Horace stuttered, quickly getting to his feet. "It's an honor to see…"

"Groveling isn't going to deflect me Horace." Mickey replied "Why don't you tell me what exactly was happening here?" he continued, fixing Horace with a withering stern look.

All of Horace's confidence had fled him, but he still managed to look his King in the eye as he stammered out a reply.

"You see your Majesty; we…managed to capture the enemy general and Traitor Pete…" Horace said, before gesturing towards Goofy and his friends "…and were ready to enact justice when that guard and…"

"Horace is it your job to create and carry out sentences for prisoners?" Mickey responded matter-of-factly. Horace froze mid sentence, and then hastily spat out a response.

"N…no, your Majesty…but I…"

"Then what exactly is going on here?" Mickey continued, glaring up at Horace. "It looks to me like you've gathered the citizens of this town into a lawless lynch mob, all for a defenseless prisoner. Is that what it is?"

For a few moments Horace was completely speechless, unable to respond in the face of the King. His mind raced, desperately grasping to try and save face in front of the entire town. "But…but… your Majesty, this is war, and he's the enemy, and…"

"Well then technicly wouldn't he be a "prisoner of war" Horace?" Mickey asked, raising an eyebrow and placing his hands on his hips. "I don't think this is in line with my official policy on POWs".

"But Sire…" Horace pleaded, "Surely this is in-line with what the law would have eventually decided anyway, in line with what is right…"

"Maybe so" Mickey conceded, "But sometimes the law does not account for everything" he continued, looking up at Goofy and then glancing to his left into the crowd.

"Wh…What?" for a brief moment Horace's anger flared in him, even before his King. "You can't show leniency to this man! You know how much he's done…"

"You're treading thin ice Horace!" Mickey shot back, raising his voice for the first time, causing Horace to recoil. "You presume to tell me about who does and doesn't deserve leniency? Well let me ask you, were you really planning on doing what you were thinking about to Pete…" Mickey gestured with his head to the left side of the crowd "in front of them?"

All heads in the crowd turned towards the direction that Mickey had indicated. Standing at the edge of the front of the crowd, watching everything with a look of confusion and shock, where two young people. The one on the left was dressed in battle scarred armor with a shield and sword resting at his feet; short and very stocky, the young knight was almost the spitting image of his father, although his face was kind and innocent, contrasting his battle hardened attire. Standing next to him was a tall attractive teenage girl with long waste length red hair and a slim figure. Sora and friends heard Pete gasp loudly behind them. "PJ…Pistol…" he whispered to himself, and then looked away, filled with incredible shame.

Horace spotted Pete's children in the crowd and his face instantly paled, realizing the corner Mickey had placed him in. "But…sire.." he sputtered ineffectively "I'm sure sir Peter and…I'm sure they understand themselves what their father…"

"You continue to test my patience Horace!" Mickey yelled, taking a step towards his stammering subject. "All I see is that you're prepared to kill an enemy who can no longer fight back, right here in the streets, and right in front of his family too." Mickey cast his stone cold glance across the entire crowd, raising his voice even louder to be sure everyone heard "I am frankly ashamed of all of you. This is not what I expect to see from my subjects, from the people of this fine town. The battle is over, the heartless have retreated!" Mickey turned and gestured towards the cowering Pete "This man is no longer a threat. I am taking him into my custody and the custody of the Keyblade Master and his companions, for now. I want all of you to disperse immediately. Return to your homes. Assess the damages. Let's start putting things back together. I will handle this situation."

For a few painful seconds, no one moved, and then the crowd finally began to disperse, people leaving in groups of three or four, mumbling under their breath. Horace watched the citizens he had gathered disperse and the anger began to spark in him again. He just couldn't understand his King's decisions. Something had to be done, something had to be payed. "Your Majesty…" Horace began, his voice rising as he stepped forward. "Forgive me for continuing to question you, but I just don't under…"

A bright flash of light temporarily blinded Horace, and when the glare cleared he saw that the King was holding his Keyblade. The dim lights in the courtyard sparkled off of the gold and silver metal and the King held it pointed out towards Horace, a grim look plastered on his face. "I told the crowd to disperse. That includes you too Horace. That's an order from your King."

Horace looked from his king's hard face to the weapon pointed at him with surprise and fear. Finally, resignation overcame him and he began stepping away. "Yes your Majesty, right away" he replied simply. Horace cast one more stern look in Goofy and Pete's direction, then upon returning his gaze to the King, his expression quickly melted to one of defeat and humbleness and he turned to walk away with the rest of the crowd.

Mickey watched Horace's retreating back for a few more seconds, and then his Keyblade de-materialized in another flash of light as he turned back to Sora's group. He looked to the side at Pete's kids. "You can come over now." He said simply. PJ and Pistol stood where they had been for a few more seconds and then the two of them nodded and approached the group, looks of relief spreading on their faces.

Sora watched the retreating crowd, and when the last of them were out of earshot, suddenly let out a huge sigh of relief and crouched down, letting his own Keyblade vanish as the King's had. "Pheeeew, that was intense. I thought my heart was going to burst." He blurted out, before looking up at Mickey "You saved our butts, your Majesty."

"For a minute I didn't think we'd get out in one piece either." Stated Donald, finally relaxing.

"That's the King for ya" Goofy added cheerfully, placing his hand affectionately on Mickey's shoulder "Always knows how to make an entrance."

"And you guys always know how to wind up in the middle of trouble." Mickey replied, smiling for the first time in that long night.

"So…" began Sora, standing up again and looking from Mickey to Pete, to Pete's kids, standing just outside their group. "What do we do now?"

Instead of replying, Mickey looked past Sora to Pete, and then walked through the small group and approached the Man. Pete looked at Mickey for a second, and then dropped his gaze, pulling himself further into a cowering defense position. Mickey stopped right in front of Pete, looking him up and down without an unreadable expression. Then, smiling gently, Mickey stuck his hand out towards the man in front of him. "Welcome home Pete." He said simply, his voice suddenly showing surprising warmth.

Pete looked at Mickey's offered hand in total incomprehension. "Wha…I don't understand…" he stuttered out, looking at Mickey with a mix of fear and distrust.

Mickey just continued to smile. "Well, it's what you say to someone when they return, isn't it?"

Pete still looked completely dumbfounded. "But…I still don't understand…" He looked around at the people in front of him "I really did do so many terrible things…to the Keyblade Master dere…and all dem worlds…but yous guys aint acting like the others…"

Goofy chuckled good naturedly. "Hyuck, I already told ya, when I told Horace and the crowd. You're my friend. I'm not going to let something like what they were planning happen to you, even if you did do all that stuff".

"Friend…" Pete said to himself, mulling over the word in his mind. He looked up at Goofy, and then quickly dropped his gaze to the ground again. "I was never a good friend to you Goof" He continued. " I…didn't really even really like ya see?. Just used ya…dumped on ya…"

Goofy nodded to himself. "Yeah I know." He said in a stern tone. But in the next moment, his face softened again and he continued. "But I don't care. I'm still your friend" Pete looked up at him again. "I care about you just for you, not for anything you did good or bad, Petey-boy."

"And we believe in Goofy, and support him." Sora chimed in, gesturing to himself and Donald. "So if he's willing to do something like this for you, then we'll support him".

Donald looked a bit reluctant to accept Sora's speech, but after a moment he nodded too. "Yeah, you got it."

"And I think your family would probably agree the same too, if I know them." Mickey added in, glancing at PJ and Pistol.

Pete turned and looked at his kids directly for the first time. His eye kept trying to meet theirs, but fell away after only a second or two, the man still too weak to keep eye contact with his children. "…kids…" Pete began, his mind racing with thoughts of what he could possibly say to them.

"H..hi sir." PJ responded nervously, squeezing his sister's hand as he did.

"Hi dad." Pistol added too.

"You've…grown so much" Pete continued, his voice cracking a little with emotion. "Last time I saw you, you were just…kids."

"It's been a long time dad." Pistol said "I'm almost out of high school. A growing Teenager."

"And I've got a job and everything." PJ added.

Pete looked his son up and down, and then asked hesitantly "…That so?" PJ nodded. "They call you Peter now?" Pete continued.

PJ blushed a little and laughed. "Yeah I guess. Mainly just because I'm a knight now and everything. Formality and all. Mom and Pistol and Max still call me PJ though."

"How is Max doing these days? I haven't heard from him in a while" Goofy asked.

"He's great Mr. G." PJ responded. "Top of his class and everything. Still an ace at the Skateboard competitions too"

"That's great!" Goofy exclaimed. "I'll have to give him a call when this is all over. Maybe stop by for a visit"

"Yeah, I'll bet he'd like that" PJ said "Just as long as you don't hang around too long."

Sora leaned down and whispered in Donald's ear. "Hey, who's Max?" He asked the wizard.

Donald rolled his eyes and waved the boy off. "We'll tell you later."

Pete looked at the kids and for a moment hesitated to ask his next question, fearing the answer he might receive. Finally, he pulled together enough courage to ask. "How's Peg?"

"Mom's fine, dad." PJ responded, causing Pete to breathe a quick sigh of relief, "We're getting by"

"It was kind of hard at first, after…you know." Pistol began. Pete nodded shamefully "She was really angry for a long time. But now she's good." Pistol paused, contemplating what she was about to say next, and then pushed forward. "She misses you. Still"

Pete's eye widened at Pistol's information. Then he noticed that both his children's eyes were beginning to glisten with tears.

"Yeah.." PJ began, and then stiffed and whipped one hand across his eye. "We all missed you dad."

Sora and the others watched on in silence, and Pete struggled to figure out what to say in response. He suddenly felt his own good eye began to tear up again. "Do…do you hate me…for for not coming back?" He asked sincerely.

PJ laughed and brushed another tear off his face. "Honestly dad, it's kind of confusing to me too. Half of me wants to just deck you real good, right in the face. But the rest of me…is just glad to see you again." PJ sniffed and then smiled , gesturing toward Pete's black eye. "And it looks like someone already beat me to the punch anyway."

"When we heard you'd been banished by Queen Minnie for causing trouble at the Million Dreams Award ceremony, we weren't really surprised." Pistol chimed in. "But then we heard you'd disappeared from the pocket dimension, and we didn't have any idea what had happened to you." She continued, her tears beginning to flow more heavily "And then after so many years we heard you'd joined the Heartless…" Tears flowed down her face as she sobbed. PJ put a comforting arm around his sister's shoulder. "Why did you leave?" she cried.

Pistol's tears cut Pete's heart like a knife. "I…I…" he stuttered out uselessly before falling silent, unable to give any response to Pistol's question.

"Now the choice is yours Pete" Mickey broke in. "What are you going to do?"

"Wh…Didn't you say I was a prisoner?" Pete asked.

Mickey laughed a little "Well yeah I did…But after what Goofy and everyone did for you back there, it seems to me like the next move should really be yours." He looked at Pete solemnly "If you REALLY want to go, then we won't stop you. We can just say you managed to surprise us and escape. But…if you do go you know everything will be back to how it was before."

Goofy looked at his old friend with a sad expression. "I don't want to have to keep fighting you Pete. But if that's what you choose, then I'll have no choice."

"Me either" Sora broke in. "I'm always up for one less enemy. But I won't hold back later if things come to that."

Pete looked at his kids, the King, and Sora trio, all standing in front of him, and studied them hard. Then he lowered his head, cast his gaze on the ground in front of him, closed his eyes and gave a gruff chuckle. "Yous guys are all a bunch of suckers, see?" he stated coarsely. Suddenly his left arm shot out, the hand clenched in a tight fist, and behind him a portal of darkness opened in thin air.

Sora's Keyblade popped into existence and the young warrior dropped into his battle ready stance in an instant, while Donald beside him brandished his wand in preparation. PJ and Pistol both looked at their father with almost identical expressions of surprise and pain on their faces. "Don't leave again!" Pistol sobbed, almost lunging forward before being caught by PJ.

"Please dad…" PJ pleaded, trying to keep his own composure as he held his sister back.

Only Goofy and Mickey did not react to the appearance of the dark portal, both of them standing silently, eyes fixed on Pete, waiting to see what would happen.

Pete laughed again, and looked up; fixing the group with the bullying sly grin he'd shown them so many times on their adventures. "I can't believe how soft and pathetic yous guys all are. Loving your enemies…showing mercy…what a bunch of baloney!" He growled, sending looks of shock across everyone's face except Goofy. "Yous guys are weak. You'll never win acting like this. And you won't receive any mercy from Maleficent when she gets ahold of ya, see?" Pete looked over all of them. "So long losers."

Sora and Donald tensed up, waiting to see Pete make a move for the portal, almost ready to break Mickey's promise for safe passage. PJ and Pistol both stared at their father in utter heartbroken shock, tears running down their faces. Even Mickey looked shaken by Pete's tirade. Only Goofy remained unmoved. They all maintained eye contact with Pete for several long excruciating seconds, and then Pete suddenly dropped his eyes again, and his out stretched arm wavered.

"At least…that's what I would normally say…" he began, his voice suddenly dropping to almost a whisper, all the arrogance and antagonism completely gone "…what a part of me still kind of wants to say…But…" Pete's clenched fist suddenly loosened and his arm dropped to his side as the dark portal behind him vanished. "…I just can't…" he finished, looking up at the group again. The whole group was shocked to see that tears were now streaming down Pete's face from his one good eye. "I tried to hang onto the anger I felt back then… anger at losing dat stupid festival prize to the trio of goody goody chumps…anger at the queen for banishing me…told myself I could never come back, that I would never wanna come back anyway. And Maleficent promised me power, and authority, and a chance to get even." He reached up with his hand and wiped under his eye with one knuckle. "Before I knew it, so much time had passed, and I was in too deep. I wouldn't have even thought of leaving, not if it meant risking her anger. It was enough to keep me working even when she was gone for that time. But now…" He looked at PJ and Pistol. "I…I…missed you guys so much…"

Pete dropped his gaze again and looked at the ground, continuing to weep quietly. PJ and Pistol passed one look between them and then both of them approached their father stopping right in front of him.

"Come home dad." Pistol asked plainly.

"Yeah" PJ continued "It can be a new start. Clean slate. We all still love you. Mom too." Pete looked up at his kids with a mix of disbelief and hope. Both PJ and Pistol knelt down in front of their father; PJ placing his hand on his father's shoulder. "Forget about all the stuff in the past. We don't care about that…" PJ smiled "We just care about you."

Pistol nodded in agreement with PJ as she smiled at her father. Pete looked into the faces of his kids and was overcome with emotion. Tears welled up in his eye again, and suddenly he pulled both of his children into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he repeated as he wept, holding the children he hadn't seen in over a decade.

Sora and the others watched on, and Sora was not surprised to see a few stray tears in the eyes of his friends as well. Even Donald seemed to be moved a bit. "Well, I guess I could say this is a happy ending." Mickey said as he turned and began to walk away from the group. "I'll see you guys at the castle" he spoke to Sora as he passed by.

"Wait, your majesty" Pete called out, looking up at the departing king. "…what happens now?" He asked tentatively, and his children also turned to hear Mickey's response.

Mickey turned back and smiled a bit sadly at Pete. "If it was up to me, I'd throw a big party. A Feast." He laughed. "After all, one of my beloved citizens has returned home safely. You were lost…but now you're found". Mickey's face quickly changed to a more serious expression. "Unfortunately, even I can't completely shield you from consequences before the law." Pete and his kids' faces fell slightly hearing Mickey's statement. "You're going to have to face some level of punishment for your crimes Pete. And even after that, things will probably be tough for you. I'm sure there are a lot of people here who may never trust you again." Mickey turned back to the group, and once again his face broke out into a kind smile. "But I'm sure you'll be ok. After all…" he gestured towards the group "You've got your family, and Goofy, and friends to support you."

"Friends..?" Pete repeated, looking a little confused.

"Well…yeah" Sora broke in, smiling at Pete. "If you're a friend of Goofy's , and you really aren't going to cause anymore trouble, then I don't see why we can't be friends too." Sora approached Pete and stuck out his hand, still smiling. Pete looked at Sora's hand hesitantly for a moment, and then slowly, almost reluctantly, reached out and shook it.

Pistol laughed and then gripped Pete under his right armpit, helping to pull him to his feet. "Come on dad, let's head home."

PJ gently touched his dad's wounded left arm, looking at the clotted gash on his shoulder. "We better get your arm fixed up first, before you see Mom. She'll probably bust it all over again when she first sees you, hehe." PJ moved to his dad's side and put his arm around his waist. "Come on, we can patch you up first at my apartment."

"Sorry about that." Sora stated and laughed nervously, tucking his hands behind his head.

The three began to walk together, but then Donald stepped in front of them, blocking their path. Donald and Pete looked at each other, and then Donald rolled his eyes. "I really hope I don't end up regretting this" he muttered to himself, and then pointed his want at Pete. "Curaga!" he called out. A green flash of light enveloped Pete. When the light cleared, everyone saw that the wound on Pete's shoulder had closed up and healed substantially, and the swelling in Pete's black eye had completely retreated, leaving nothing more than a light pale yellow bruise.

"…Thanks duck" Pete responded quietly, and then flashed Donald a small smile, which the magician quickly returned.

Goofy walked up to his old friend and put a hand on his healed shoulder. "Glad to have you back, Petey-boy" he said warmly, flashing his old friend his best smile.

Pete smiled back at Goofy and put his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Thanks pal. I really mean it".

And with that the group walked off together into the night.

-End-

-Lk 15: 20-32-

-Rom 4: 6-8-

-LOL, Goofy and Horace arguing are kind of funny when you think about it…because both of them are played by Billy Farmer. Also I remember that "normal people" aren't supposed to be in on the fact that there are multiple worlds, but since this is set in the future of the series, I'd just say that the Masquerade is over. And yeah, Sora passed his Mark of Mastery exam in my version. Who knows how it will actually turn out in the series. I thought about adding some more obvious specific references to the Birth By Sleep trio later, but then changed my mind. I really hope Pete ends up turning good later in the series too…and that he doesn't die. I have two other Pete related fanfic ideas kicking around in my mind; one is Goof Troop related, and the other is Kingdom Hearts. I'm not sure if I'll ever right them though, we'll see-


End file.
